Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Durham, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,554 in Durham, NC, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Durham, NC
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Durham, NC Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Durham, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Durham, NC

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Montevideo and in Durham, NC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $2,554 in Durham, NC.

Montevideo $1,771
Durham, NC $2,554

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,740 in Montevideo versus $3,914 in Durham, NC.

Montevideo $2,740
Durham, NC $3,914

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,708 in Montevideo versus $5,274 in Durham, NC.

Montevideo $3,708
Durham, NC $5,274

Living in Montevideo costs roughly 31% less than in Durham, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montevideo 31% above, Durham, NC 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$15.60 $15.60

-2.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$103 $103

-33.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$10.06 $10.06

45.63%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$4.61 $4.61

-3.25%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 UYU 107

$3.15 $3.15

-15.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$2.06 $2.06

-2.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$5.85 $5.85

-17.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$6.96 $6.96

-45.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.18 $1.18

15.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$4.96 $4.96

-42.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$4.45 $4.45

-60.67%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.48 $3.48

34.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$19.27 $19.27

-27.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$16.78 $16.78

-28.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$17.16 $17.16

-30.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$5.73 $5.73

-51.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.85 $1.85

48.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$3.76 $3.76

-52.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$4.60 $4.60

-29.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$2.29 $2.29

-13.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$3.89 $3.89

-46.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$2.71 $2.71

-49.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.97 $1.97

-4.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$7.98 $7.98

-29.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$15.09 $15.09

-41.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.48 $1.48

52.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$4.00 $4.00

-31.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$1.52 $1.52

0.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

$25.28 $25.28

193.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$1.96 $1.96

-2.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$0.60 $0.60

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$0.96 $0.96

121.88%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$35.0K $35.0K

-22.65%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$24.8K $24.8K

46.38%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$188 UYU 7,557

$224 $224

-15.92%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$20.54 UYU 824

$56.2 $56.2

-63.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$70.9 $70.9

-36.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$49.70 $49.70

8.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$13.19 $13.19

-9.40%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$634 UYU 25.5K

$1,542 $1,542

-58.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$44.17 $44.17

131.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$34.03 $34.03

69.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$92.3 $92.3

37.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$135 $135

-5.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$1,710 $1,710

-57.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$1,220 $1,220

-53.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$2,543 $2,543

-54.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$2,210 $2,210

-53.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$2,757 $2,757

23.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$2,680 $2,680

-27.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$4,585 $4,585

-72.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

6.81

-15.71%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Durham, NC: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Durham, NC

$1.2K 47.8% 115% $652

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Durham, NC

$459 18% 38.4% $127

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Durham, NC

$274 10.7% 1.9% $5.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Durham, NC

$351 13.7% 38.4% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Durham, NC

$137 5.4% 26.2% $49

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Durham, NC

$36 1.4% 56.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Durham, NC

$76 3% 2.3% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $719 in Montevideo and $1,710 in Durham, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durham, NC pays 268% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $69.0 in Montevideo vs $103 in Durham, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $459 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇺🇸 Durham, NC

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

08:40 8:40 AM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

283,506

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Durham, NC 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Durham, NC

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Montevideo vs Durham, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Durham, NC. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Montevideo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 268% lower in Durham, NC. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $719 in Montevideo versus $1,710 in Durham, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Montevideo runs roughly 194% less than in Durham, NC. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $634 in Montevideo versus $1,542 in Durham, NC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,771 in Montevideo versus $2,554 in Durham, NC, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Durham, NC. The gap between the two cities makes Montevideo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Montevideo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,771 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Montevideo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montevideo and Durham, NC are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Montevideo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Durham, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.